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    Christmas with Angel
    Christmas with Angel
    Christmas with Angel
    Ebook84 pages3 hours

    Christmas with Angel

    By Susan Stephens

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    About this ebook

    Angel Acosta, a polo-playing billionaire playboy with a reputation for getting anything— and anyone he wants, arrives at his half-brother’s ranch for a lavish wedding. Accustomed to a life of indulgence and luxury, he’s thrown off balance by Devla Kelly, a fiery Irish groom who doesn’t have time for his games or his money.

    Devla has worked hard for everything she has, and she’s not about to allow a spoiled playboy to disrupt her life. But as sparks fly between them. their worlds collide in a storm of passion, challenge and undeniable chemistry.

    Determined to win Devla over, Angel soon learns that this will be his hardest conquest yet. Fierce and fearless Devla refuses to back down, no matter how tempting the offer...

    Can Angel charm his way into Devla’s guarded heart, or will their differences tear them apart? With love and pride on the line, both must risk everything to discover if love stands a chance.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSusan Stephens
    Release dateDec 20, 2024
    ISBN9781910604632
    Christmas with Angel
    Author

    Susan Stephens

    Romance with heart, heat and red-hot men, written by author addicted to all of the above.USA TODAY best-selling author Susan Stephens has captivated readers worldwide, selling over 10 million copies of her books. Susan’s stories have been translated into 26 languages, reaching readers in 109 countries. this year, Susan celebrates a remarkable milestone with the publication of her 100th book.Living in Yorkshire, England, Susan is surrounded by a large, loving family—a delightful surprise for someone who grew up as an only child. Her passion for storytelling and family shines through in every page she writes, inviting you to share in her vibrant world.NEW short-reads series: ACOSTAS RAW: RODEOBEAU 1# Release date 26th JulyComing soon 2# COLT 3# BLAKENew FATED BY FIRE series. Anthology, 3 HIGHLAND DRAGON ROMANCES with Angelique Armae and Carole Mortimer available for pre-order now. Release date June 28th1# TORRAN (September 2024 will be Susan's 100th book) 2# ACTON coming soonBLOOD AND THUNDER series: Dangerous women. Hard men. Ferocious passion.ALEXEI. https://books2read.com/u/m2leOdDANTE. https://books2read.com/u/38dejVDIEGO https://books2read.com/u/me9XezCESAR https://books2read.com/u/mB25GACONOR https://books2read.com/u/baDBNQELIJAH coming soonBooks 1-4 BLOOD AND THUNDER available as a box set https://books2read.com/u/mYGQ7Y

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      Book preview

      Christmas with Angel - Susan Stephens

      CHAPTER ONE

      The ceremony was held in a vast, newly constructed barn on the groom Blake Carter’s Bar-C ranch. Decorated with a hay-fever-inducing array of exotic blooms, mellow wooden walls had been transformed into a sumptuous backdrop similar to the lavish settings Angel Acosta was more accustomed to in Monte Carlo, rather than this down-homey setting on a working ranch.

      He'd seated himself in the front row, where he had the best view of the spectacular ceremonial arch and the wedding party. His half brother Blake had gone to town. No expense spared for his beautiful bride, veterinarian Alice. Angel was curious to see the woman who made Blake happy, but someone else caught his attention. Turning to the elegant guest beside him, an older woman with a warm, friendly face and a twinkle in her periwinkle-blue eyes, he asked the name of the striking bridesmaid wearing a sensational emerald-green dress.

      That’s Devla Kelly, best friend of Blake’s beautiful blonde bride, Alice, his fragrant companion confided. She’s a lovely girl…unattached too.

      This last comment was accompanied by a knowing look and an even warmer smile, which should have warned him the elderly matchmaker was just getting into her stride. You’re all over the press, she remarked with approval. Billionaire champion polo player, philanthropist, lover of the arts—well, lover, she exclaimed, placing one beautifully manicured hand over her mouth in pretended shock. Age has certain privileges, and one of them is seeing you young folk successfully coupled up.

      Hardly young, he commented dryly.

      Hardly innocent either, his new friend observed, but I’m sure Devla could handle you. A woman as beautiful as she is should have more admirers than her horse.

      "Indeed,’ he murmured thoughtfully. The world was full of possibility. Women he hooked up with knew the score. Devla was too young for him. However feisty she might be, ingenues didn’t interest him.

      Bride or groom?

      He turned back to his neighbor. I beg your pardon…?

      Anna Novak, she supplied. An exquisite hand clasped his in a surprisingly strong grip. I know who you are. Everyone does, so forgive me for occupying your time, but you’re sitting on the groom’s side, so I’m naturally curious because you can’t stop staring at the bride. Were you and Blake rivals in love at some point?

      Not exactly, and I wasn’t staring at the bride.

      Ah, Devla, she said, and who could blame you? So, what is Blake to you?

      My half brother. Normally, he would find these questions intrusive, but his elderly companion radiated kindness, a quality he revered. And then silence was required as the ceremony commenced.

      A long preamble made him consider why he was sitting on the groom’s side. His half brother Blake was the illegitimate son of Angel’s father and the mistress who had destroyed Angel’s mother’s life. The last time he and Blake had met, they’d come to blows over the rights of their respective mothers. Now all their parents had passed on, they decided it was time to bury the hatchet. This decision involved a degree of self-interest on both their parts. Blake bred some of the best horses on the planet, and Angel was a professional polo player, always looking out for new stock.

      I met Blake through my first husband, Anna confided during a break in the proceedings. We lived in Monte Carlo, but Pietro was a huge fan of rodeo and would travel wherever the stars were riding. Blake was one of those stars. Sadly, Pietro died… Biting her lip, Anna paused. Apologies, she murmured, patting at her tears with a lace-edged handkerchief. I didn’t mean to become emotional, but even after all this time, it just hits me sometimes. Blake never forgot Pietro’s support and wanted me to see the improvements he'd made here. He and Alice have restored the ranch to something my late husband would have loved to visit. Blake knew that and invited me. I can tell you’re related. You have the same kind face."

      He laughed discreetly and leaned a little closer to confide, Both Blake and I are also a little wicked.

      How exciting, Anna breathed as the ceremony continued.

      How dare Angel Acosta stare at her as if she were a piece of meat? She knew who he was. The entire world knew who he was. Angel Acosta was a modern-day answer to Casanova, without the pretty-boy veneer. Hard in every respect, he was hard-muscled, hard-faced, and apparently hard to know. Thank goodness for that, though she had no intention of trying to get to know him.

      He continued to look at her as if he had every right. His dark, brooding eyes remained fixed on her face in a challenge she longed to respond to, but not here, not now. Later, maybe.

      Forced to change her expression as Alice, the bride, handed over her bouquet, Devla restored her former steel-eyed look before turning back to Angel, whose faint, knowing smile suggested that everything she did amused him. We’ll see about that!

      Devla had never backed down from a fight in her life. She’d grown up battling nine brothers, and when she first arrived on the ranch, the cowboys had mocked her. Pint-sized Irish spitfire they’d called her, before they saw her ride.

      Another pause in the ceremony heralded the exchange of rings.

      Devla?

      She turned to see one of the other bridesmaids, a girl named Bethany, staring at her with concern.

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